Movie Review: Mary Kom

An angry young woman from a small village in Manipur fights her way to the world stage winning several prestigious titles and awards is the storyline of the much-awaited biopic #MaryKom. Starring one of the most talented actors in the industry #PriyankaChopra, the movie did capture the audience's imagination to a quite extent. With her powerpacked performance, Priyanka Chopra did justice in her role to portray all the struggles that Mary Kom has faced in reality to reach the stage where she is now.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Review

For us who grew up in the late 1980s or early 1990s, there is a good chance that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a part of our childhood. It first came out in Mirage Comics which eventually grew into a headliner; credit goes to the cartoon series and movies that came out. TMNT once again projected the movie version early this that received mixed reviews at best, but I had fun watching it.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 review

Many have written reviews about the amazing Spider-man 2 as being an average movie. In fact, some have given major negative feedback on the movie, which is very strange as per the view on the cinema seats.

Need for Speed

Need for Speed fits onto the perfect recipe for a great movie with the fans from the video game as well as an exciting story line as seen in the trailer.  Many of us were left to think that director Scott Waugh will put forward an amazing movie experience and set a standard for video game turned movies however after the release, the crowd gave a mixed review for it.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Money, drugs, women, lifestyle!! All set forth to a dream’s limit by Jordan R. Belfort in real life.  He is known for being the biggest name in history in relation to his reach on Wall Street, he was “the” stock broker, and he was “The Wolf of Wall street”.

Actor Farooq Sheikh dies

Versatile actor Farooq Sheikh left for heavenly abode late on Friday due to massive heart attack in Dubai.

He died at the age of 65 years. He was born on 25 March 1948.

His body will be brought to Mumbai later in the day after completing the formalities in Dubai, sources said.

Sheikh was last seen on a blockbuster movie ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ as a father of actor Ranbir Kapoor and Sarika in Club60. He was a part of several classic films such as Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Chashme Buddoor, Kissi Se Na Kehna and Noorie. 

He is a master of parallel cinema in the 1970s and 80s and contributed maximum in the growth of the art movies.

His career in Bollywood started in 1973 with 'Garm Hava'. The actor had also hosted the famous talk show Jeena Isi ka naam hai on television.

May his soul rest in peace.

Amitabh Bachchan pays tribute to Yash Chopra

Amitabh Bachchan pays a rich tribute to his "friend first", "a creative legend" - Yash Chopra through his blog

Death in its darkness overtakes and clouds us all ..

An association of 44 years abruptly comes to an end. He went away too soon and too suddenly. He deserved to be with us longer. Yash Chopra, a friend first, a creative legend later, has passed away this evening in the late hours.

I last saw him, as do you from the pictures above, on my birthday celebrations. He was indisposed and the doctors advised him rest, but he was insistent on coming over. He had made a commitment he said. He had been asked to speak, one among four others that did that evening, over the sit down dinner. His words still ring in my ear and what remains are the resonance of his goodness and feeling that he exuded towards me. Apart from his praise on my work, what he cherished most, was that I had been a good son and above all a good human being. Not many have made such observation. It was a moving tribute.

It was his last public speech and appearance. The pictures you see above are his last visuals. His whispered words, the last he made to me, at the 10th October celebrations for my birthday. The visuals that one shall see tomorrow will be his last before the cremation, those that he shall never know of.

His breathe has gone and all that shall remain will be that which he gave life to - his creativity, his emotion, his poetry on film and above all his humanity.

As I sit beside his still and flower decked body in his studio within the portals of the large common patio, there does not pass a moment when all that we shared flashes by. This colossal studio that he built after years of hard work and labor, shall for the next day house his last physical remain. I doubt if he had ever dreamt that this unique and most distinguished facility would find space to accomodate him in the state that we see him today.

When he broke away from working with his brother the distinguished BR Chopra, another institution of eminence, he started his independent work from a small 6x10 little dress and property storage room in the great V Shantaram’s RajKamal studios. Two simple desks occupied the cramped space. He sat on one. His accountant on the other. Paper work, posters, at times dresses for the artists of his film were stored within that room. He and I would spend hours in that little space talking film, scenes, stories, shooting issues and just a lot more. He rose from there by shear dint of his talent and hard work and built, in the most central commercial area of Mumbai, on acres of land, the most modern and well equipped studio that the film industry has seen to date. He did not just sell beautiful dreams, he created them too in reality. From an ordinary apartment in a high rise in Pali Hill, he created his own home in Juhu, a minute away from mine. The times spent there, the wonderful and fun filled evenings, the sessions of story and music in his ‘gadda room’, the Holi celebrations, the rich events which gathered eminent artists, the sumptuous meals that he and his wife Pamela cooked for us … just such a vast collection of memories …



I have just one regret with regard to him. For some months lately, he had been calling and telling me to drop by in the early hours of the morning as I returned from the gym for ‘just a chat - no work, no issues, just a chat’. I had promised him that I would, and I never was able to.



As I sit back in his remembrance I wonder if this was another premonition that he may have had of his departure. Of his limited time …



My mind is filled with hundreds of private and personal moments that we all spent together during this large association with him. They shall ever remain stored within us and like all other memories shall give value and belief to what we shared together ….



The greatness of those that dwell in the world of film is that they shall ever leave behind a legacy of their work, talent and creativity, but very few shall be privy to the pain and joy of personal accomplishment … or … who knows … perhaps the legacy may have already been documented ….



Yash ji, your contribution to the millions that had the privilege to witness your creativity shall be immortal … may we all savour it till our end …



Amitabh Bachchan

The Dark Knight Rises

Duration: 2 hr. 45 min.
Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Written By: David S. Goyer, Christopher Nolan,Jonathan Nolan, Bob Kane
US Box Office:$160.9M
Warner Bros. Pictures

As we came out of the theater, Harsha shouted "What a movie man!! The director sure knows how to draw our attention!!" Sidhu added, "Loved it a lot" while John conveyed to someone on the phone "You missed out and we all had fun...Awesome movie dude!!" These were some of the reactions being triggered to a group of college youngsters who just watched The Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises is Christopher Nolan's third part to the Batman trilogy. As the movie comes out with a lot of hype, audience expect a lot to happen in the movie. The very question in everyone’s mind is will this movie serve to the epic conclusion of the legacy of The Dark Knight which whooped a $ 1 billion box office hit worldwide in 2008 or will it be a viewers’ disappointment! Well, it’s not bad at all.

After being away from now, the crime free city of Gotham, Batman returns, old and tired as Bane (Tom Hardy), a ruthless and cunning terrorist who has come to the city to enact a plan that will take everything, both Bruce Wayne and Batman have been fighting for, and twist it into a weapon used to destroy Gotham and the souls of its people. Catwoman, a costumed thief (Anne Hathaway) is also introduced however without the traditional cats around her and without pushed humour.
For the first time, Batman loses a knuckle to knuckle fight with Bane, and all hopes seems lost. Bruce is sent to a jail with broken spine and hopes no less than a bunny with a bullet wound. With Bane ruling the city and the Government failing to spread order and law, Batman gets up on his feet and comes back for a battle with Bane and his army. After bringing them down, Batman has to now save the city from a Nuclear bomb which is about to blast. He uses his Bat (Aircraft) to fly it off to a distance where, out of time, an explosion occurs at the horizon of the sea and the tombstone for Bruce Wayne is set.
Surely, enough surprises capture your attention at various parts in the movie. This is one of the major reasons viewers did not feel the length of the film. And to mention further, Bane as a villain, is not as lively as the joker however Catwoman added a huge spark in the screen each time she popped up and created chemistry. Needless to say the movie has come across to viewers very well, as Spoorthi says “‎The Dark Knight Rises .....a brilliant movie...even for those who are not fans of batman....a must watch...”

Caught in the web

Duration: 2 hr. 17 min.
Directed By: Marc Webb
Written By: Steve Ditko, Stan Lee, James Vanderbilt

With the Amazing Spiderman on lease in the big screen, many have different opinions about the renovation on the existing blueprint.

10 years ago, when Tobey Maguire starring as the arachnid hero and Kristen Dunst as his love interest, Mary Jane, opened to rave reviews. Earning an unheard of $114 million its first weekend alone, the first film in director Sam Raimi's trilogy shattered box office reviews. The response of the general audience was hyper, hence uplifting the character and popularity of the super hero. Critics thought it would be hard to compete. But The Amazing Spider-Man, with The Social Network's Andrew Garfield in the lead and Emma Stone as girlfriend Gwen Stacy, is garnering as good reviews as the first. Some writers and critics, but not all, even like it better than the original.

The story starts off with child Peter and his parents, who, after a break-in at their house endangering Dad's scientific secrets, rush Peter over to Uncle Ben and Aunt May's house for safekeeping. As he became a teenager, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father in uncle Ben’s basement which leads him to a quest to understand his parents' disappearance - leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

The scenes to look out for in the movie is the transformation. Having been bitten by a genetically evolved spider, Parker goes into a delirious, feverish state, pop-eyed with anxiety and over-excitement as his body assumes new strength and the ability to hang upside down. Without knowing what he is doing, Parker semi-accidentally beats up around half a dozen menacing guys in a subway carriage while stammering and apologizing like a New York Hugh Grant. At home, he virtually destroys his bathroom before learning his own strength. He invents a watch which shots out web like fibre which holds him up in the sky. The first person view of the spidey is being shown, which gives the audience a thrill. The terrible fate of Uncle Ben, and Peter's own concomitant guilt, is sharply sketched out.

“It is a very good movie to watch until and unless you expect too much from it” says Vivek, a student in Lambton College, Toronto. Roger also commented “It’s a more serious Spiderman movie”. The crowd has different things to say about the movie, it's time you check it out yourselves.

Ted

Duration: 1 hr. 55 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Writers: Seth MacFarlane (story) and Seth MacFarlane(screenplay)
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Seth MacFarlane

'It has been said that magic vanished from the world a long time ago..but if there's one thing you can be sure of, is that nothing is more powerful than a young boy's wish.. except for an Apache helicopter!' As much of a fairy tale type story it seems, Ted is a very hilarious movie. Packed with one liners and very funny dialogues, the movie is a great entertainer.

As the result of a childhood wish, John Bennett(Mark Wahberg)'s teddy bear, Ted (Seth MacFarlane), came to life and has been by John's side ever since. They would spend time playing and talking as John had no friends. As he got older, he is seen lazying with Ted on the couch and smoking pot while watching  "Flash Gordon" (Super hero) television series while talking crap. However the friendship is put to test when Lori (Mila Kunis), John's girlfriend of four years, wants more from their relationship. While John faces a tough time trying to straighten his life after Ted moves out,his relationship drops to a break up and Ted is being kidnapped! The rest of the story is out in the big screen, please go watch it..its a refresher.

'This is a funny ass movie.. seen it yesterday two thumbs up' says Rockey.  Anup in Toronto says 'Mark Wahlberg is funny, but Ted?? Ted rocks!!!'

Gangs of Wasseypur

Realistic drama of gang wars

Gore, revenge, rivalry- you name it, and the Gangs of Wasseypur have it. Yes, all forms of violence and the gang fights and bangs. The all-time versatile actor Manoj Bajpai has yet again proved his acting prowess with his character Sardar Khan. And the debutant actor Tigmanshu Dhulia in a role as a labourer Ramadhir Singh has done a commendable job. And what all you want from a dark movie like Gangs of Wasseypur when it’s directed by none other than auteur Anurag Kashyap of Dev D fame.
The plot revolves round the old time hatred and rivalry between two Muslim groups- Qureshis and Pathans regarding coal mining. The director has painted a picture of reality with the gang war based in the actual land of coal-Dhandbad; and the use of Bihari language just makes it finesse. However, too many characters in the movie would make the audience a bit confused. The theatre artist Piyush Mishra’s presence as the narrator of the story makes it more amazing. And the trademark vernacular abuses in Kashyap’s style are just fantabulous as in other movies of the director. The rustic dialogues and its delivery by these bunch of finest realistic actors is very much amazing and good to ears.
The folk like music by Sneha Khanwalkar keeps the drama alive. GV Prakash’s background score does the same magic and keeps it thrilling. Use of montage takes us back to history of coal war in Colonial India.
All in all, Gangs of Wasseypur is a must watch release of this month to get a peep into the Indian coalmine wars in a realistic approach drama.

Aamir Khan on Time magazine's cover

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has been featured on the Asian edition of the iconic US Time magazine cover, thanks to his show -- Satyamev Jayate, which deals with social issues.

This makes him the third Bollywood actor after former beauty pageant winners Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Parveen Babi graced the cover.

The magazine introduces the actor as, "He's breaking the Bollywood mold by tackling India's social evils. Can one actor change a nation?"

The last Indian who featured on the Time’s cover was legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Sania Mirza, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Narendra Modi have also been featured on the magazine.

In 1930, the Time declared Mahatma Gandhi, Man of The Year, after being featured on the magazine thrice.

‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’, an epic of eternal ultra-romance

When Romance King Shah Rukh Khan, legendry filmmaker Yash Chopra and superhot Katrina come together in one platform, what can one expect than an epic love story! Yes, ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ is an eternal romance epic served in a love platter for all those romantic lot and fans of the above combination. In the age of Rom-Com or Romedies, ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ is an unadulterated, 100% pure romantic movie which people have yearned for years. It touches one’s emotion!
The perfect line-up of a romantic movie apart, Aditya Chopra’s story and dialogue are depiction of eternal love story which happens only once a lifetime but with contemporary touch. The Oscar-winner AR Rahman’s music and background score kept the tempo high throughout the film. The music isn’t AR Rahman’s typical one, but one can see a different Rahman as he successfully gave a touch of the trademark music of all the Yash Chopra’s romantic flicks.
Penned by evergreen lyricist Gulzar, the lyrics of all songs of ‘Jab tak Hai Jaan’ are sure to give you some goose bumps moments. The lines seamlessly merged with the love story of the lead pair.
Talking about the performance, one needs no reason why Shah Rukh Khan is christened as the King of Bollywood. His charismatic persona requires no effort to portray the character of Samar Anand. His wit, charm, dimpled-smile, humour, dancing skills in the first half and his rough and tough look, dialogue delivery style in the second half can’t be beaten by any of his counterparts in the industry. He is unbeatable at what he does the best- Romance.  He effortlessly romances with the actress half his age. For sure, filmmakers will have hard time to find his replacement in the genre in years to come. Also, it’s a paradigm shift as Baadshah kisses his lead actress on-screen for the first time.
Be it acting, dancing, her accent, Katrina Kaif is improving with each film and ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ has put a feather on her cap as timeless sensual Yash Chopra heroine. Her character Meera is just like her as she is elegant, sophisticated, hard working (she learnt Punjabi song as a birthday surprise for her father in the movie just like she learnt Hindi in real). Also, one can see a glimpse of her acclaimed childlike, free and frank nature in her earlier movies like ‘Meri Brother Ki Dulhan’  in the movie. For all the die-hard fans of Katrina, she is a delight, an eye-candy, sexy and beautiful lady in the flick. To add more, her moves in a salsa sequence with Shah Rukh Khan will definitely make her fans carzy even more making their hearts throb harder.

Agent Vinod kidnaps his heroine for lifetime

The much awaited Bollywood marriage of the year finally has been solemnised with star couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor getting married on Tuesday in Mumbai.
A registered marriage was held on Tuesday at Saif’s residence in suburban Bandra, which was a quiet affair.
"The marriage registration will happen tomorrow between 11.30 am and 12 pm at Fortune Heights in Bandra," marriage registrar Surekha Ramesh said on Monday.
Innumerable pre-wedding events have been taking place this month, recent being Monday family dinner at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Colaba, Mumbai.
After the marriage registration, there is reportedly a reception to be held on Wednesday at the Taj Mahal hotel in the evening. It will be followed by another reception in Delhi on October 18.  At the Pataudi Palace in Haryana, there will be yet another wedding ceremony.
The Sangeet was also a star-studded event, with the couple’s friends namely, Amrita Arora, Karan Johar, Tusshar Kapoor and the like performing in the event.
The 42-year-old actor Saif will be wearing achkan designed by Raghavendra Rathore and his lady love Kareena will be attired in a sharara designed by Manish Malhotra for the reception.

SRK-Katrina starrer movie’s title revealed

It’s out! The well-kept secret of Yash Chopra’s movie title starring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma has been revealed today. ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ is the name of the much anticipated film. It was revealed on leading national newspapers as a full front page advertisement.

‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ is directed by legendary romance filmmaker Yash Chopra. A R Rahman has composed its music while Gulzar is the lyricist. The movie is based on the love life of an army officer. The ad that appeared in almost all the national dailies in India on Tuesday showed Shah Rukh Khan in army attire with his ‘Chak De’ look riding a bullet.

As it is for the first time that Shah Rukh and Katrina have been paired for a film, the crazy fans are eagerly waiting for its release.

The movie hits the theatre on Diwali, November 13.